I found Sunday's editorial by John Costa "Convention Coverage Was Fair" to be laughable. I believe every publication has the right to espouse their beliefs, but why hide behind a smokescreen of impartiality when it is abundantly clear the Bulletin has been a GOP mouthpiece since the current owners took over? The Bulletin continually whines about its supposed impartiality and yet, every election year the Bulletin posts a list of ballot recommendations.
Opinion
Going Fisties at Phil’s Trail
Well the inevitable happened this Saturday when two mountain bikers collided with one another and I had the opportunity to witness it all. One cyclist was climbing, having the right of way, the other blasting down the trail on a 6" travel bike. The descender did not yield to the climber perhaps thinking he had speed, weight and a buddy to roll over the single climber. Well when their aluminum steeds met at high speed they were going to stop. They both dismounted and the bikes were dropped where they were and out came the bravado fists a flying….wooo weee the downhiller went down with two quick jabs to the chin by the thin, fit, tattooed XC rider. The second downhiller was about to intervene then I stepped in to assist the XC rider. I have been riding the trail network around here for two years and the amount of bozo riders out here are mounting by the months. Hey you bozo riders, those movies like Seasons, The Collective and Roam are done by professional riders in sectioned off areas with film crews, zip lines, medical staff, in pristine country with no other RIDERS climbing etc.
McCain Is Not the Answer
McCain has a long history of working against workers. He has worked with large corporations and the right wing to weaken and destroy organized labor by supporting right to work (for less) laws, he has attempted to limit overtime for workers by radically overhauling the Fair Labor Standards Act and he has blocked a Senate vote on the Employee Free Choice Act which would restore workers' freedom to form unions and bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions without employer harassment.
McCain has waged a 25-year attack to destroy prevailing wages by attempting to completely waive or repeal the Davis-Bacon Act which requires that workers on federally-funded construction projects be paid no less than the wages and benefits paid in the community for similar work. He has also blocked votes on "Strikers' Rights" legislation which allows SCABs to undermine striking workers by permanently replacing them while the workers are on the picket line fighting for wages, benefits and working conditions.
McCain failed to vote on legislation extending unemployment benefits to hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers whose lives are being brutalized in this economic crisis created by the Bush administration. McCain, who claims to be an independent thinker, has actually supported the Bush policies and positions 89% of the time including making Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy permanent and attempting to privatize social security.
Don’t Dismiss Petitioners
This week's LOW comes from long time resident and frequent city council critic Barbara McAusland who seconds our recent Boot to the council's proposed time limit on initiative petitions. Thanks for the letter Barbara, you're entitled to a $25 gift certificate courtesy of Dinner's Ready for your contribution to this week's Mailbag.
I’m in the Zone
If you haven't been in to The Reptile Zone yet, you are missing out.
I just took my friends who are nine and six (years old) in to meet Jeff and his reptile family and we all left 30 minutes later with huge smiles on our faces.
Quit Yer Bitchin!
Would someone please change H. Bruce Miller's diaper? His big fat tears about the "obnoxious noise pollution" over at LSA probably need wiping too.
Keep it Local
As another election season heats up, I just wanted to weigh in with my own opinion. No president can ever give me what I need - what I need is a vibrant local economy that sustains its members by keeping its dollars here.
Saying No to Airport “Renewal”
As the eminent British philosopher Mick Jagger reminded us, "You can't always get what you want." That's especially true if you're trying to run a local government in a period of shrinking revenues.
Cessna, the small-aircraft manufacturer, wants $4 million worth of improvements at the Bend Airport, including longer runways and a control tower. One way to get the money for those amenities would be to create an urban renewal district covering more than 500 acres around the airport. The district wouldn't levy new taxes on existing properties, but it would absorb any increase in tax revenues that developed after its creation.
Cessna has been pushing hard for the urban renewal district, with the backing of the City of Bend. But because the airport lies outside the city limits, the Deschutes County Commission also must approve it. Last week, though, Commissioners Tammy Melton and Dennis Luke killed the plan by stating they wouldn't vote for it.
We think they made the right call.
Cessna is a good company to have in Central Oregon. It employs about 500 people at (by local standards) decent wages. The other aircraft manufacturer based at the airport, Epic, also is an asset to the economy.
The problem with giving Cessna what it wants is that the new urban renewal district would divert future tax dollars away from important public services, including the county sheriff's department and a rural fire protection district. According to county estimates, the fire district alone could lose something like $32,000 a year.
What’s a Palinista
It's Always Half Full.
Upfront made almost half of the 11 shows at Bend's biggest venue this summer. We were there on the cold and wet night that Michael Franti and Spearhead opened up the season by getting our beanie-covered heads bopping and we were also in attendance as the revamped Stone Temple Pilots closed out the season with a "Time Life Alt-Rock of the Early-Mid Nineties" nostalgia set.
All in all, the amphitheater season was a success, say the organizers of the venue. But what caught the eye of Upfront were the show-by-show figures printed in the Other Paper this week stating that even the most well-attended show (Brooks & Dunn, y'all) drew less than 5,000 people. The number is impressive, but not as remarkable when considering that the stated capacity for the Schwab is 8,000.
We were at Sheryl Crow's post-Obamarama late-night (at least by Bend standards) rock-a-thon which reportedly drew about 4,400 fans and the place seemed pretty much packed. There were a few spots in the beer garden to strap in a few more people, but for the most part, an open piece of grass was hard to come by.
Stumbling and Bumbling
I was currently enjoying your "Thirsty" issue, when I stumbled upon a mistake in the "Simple Economics" part of the story. Henry Weinhard's beer is NOT brewed in Hood River, read the label, Miller owns HW and it is brewed at one of their facilities in Texas or California.

